BAON KAINAN OWNERS ETHAN AND GERI LEUNG’S FAVORITE RESTAURANTS IN PORTLAND

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Ethan and Geri Leung, the husband and wife team who own the Eater Award-winning Filipino food cart Baon Kainan, have spent the first third of the year focusing on community and culture. The Leungs are major players in Sobrang Sarap, April’s monthlong celebration of Filipino food across 16 Portland restaurants, food carts, pop-ups, and shops. “It’s a food month that’s recognized in the Philippines, so we wanted to bring it here,” Geri says.

The project blossomed out of the recent founding of Kolectivo, a collective started by Magna, Sun Rice, and Tikim; the Leungs look forward to getting involved with the collective as much as possible in the coming years. “There was a need for a third space for the FilAm community — a place where we can finally come together, connect, and show up for each other, rather than being disjointed,” Geri says. “We hope we can inspire more Filipino American businesses and create a blueprint so that more people can do this.”

We met with the Leungs at Kolectivo to chat over coffee and bibingka, where they also filled us in on their picks for post-shift sushi, snacks for dinner, and their favorite doughnuts.

Can you talk a bit more about Kolectivo and the way you feel its founders are reflective of the spirit and style of Baon Kainan?

Geri Leung: Chef TJ (Cruz of Sun Rice), chef Carlo (Lamagna of Magna) and Ethan are all very similar and really strive to do the same thing with Filipino food: starting out traditional and classic, but elevating it to a place that’s uniquely personal to them. Ethan does his take on pork belly, TJ does (his version), and Carlo’s is on another level. It’s really cool to see. We’re not just a homogeneous group of Filipinos who can cook. We do other things.

Ethan Leung: A common theme when people think of Filipino food is that it needs to taste or be presented a certain way. With us, Carlo, TJ, Makulit, that’s changing.

GL: Makulit’s another cart we gotta mention, too, because they’re walking distance from where we live and we love their food. Xrysto (Castillo) and Mike (Bautista) are doing great things — they’re just so fun and kind.

Have you tried anything new or exciting recently?

GL: A couple of things have been on my mind. The egg salad sandwich with caviar at Canard last October. My mind was blown. Last summer for Ethan’s birthday, we went to L’Orange and had a crepe loaded with crab and crusty cheese and citrus sauce. Those are two dishes I can’t forget, both from very inspired menus. I want to go again and see what they’re working on.

Where are you guys regulars?

EL: Sushi Hada.

GL: We’ve actually been going there quite a lot after our shifts end. The food is prepared, so we don’t have to wait: sit down, serve yourself, and don’t interact with anyone after a ten-hour shift. We’re more on the introverted side, so we recharge by having quiet time and not talking.

What are your sushi night go-tos?

EL: Mackerel and salmon nigiri — classic, fatty pieces of fish.

GL: I like their pepper tuna sashimi. I do a lot of vegetarian rolls, too — sweet potato tempura or deep-fried asparagus with cream cheese. Not traditional by any means, but those are my go-tos.

As a couple, can you throw each other under the bus a little bit and share any embarrassing eating habits?

GL: Ethan will just have ice cream for dinner. I’d be like ‘what do you wanna do?’ and he’d say ‘ice cream,’ deadpan.

EL: It’s either mint chocolate ice cream or a bag of Lay’s sour cream and onion chips. Not the small lunch bag, the big one.

You’re a professional!

GL: We’ll have pizza three days in a row, especially now that we’re next to Paladin Pie. I always veer toward something with mushrooms.

EL: I don’t eat enough vegetables, except at home, where Geri does most of the cooking.

Are there any local Portland products you cook with at home?

EL: We use Ota Tofu a lot.

GL: We live near Market of Choice and it’s nice to see a lot of local brands there. I feel good that most of the things we buy there are local.

Where’s your coffee from today?

GL: Less and More! I got the cloud cream mocha. I love anything with a thick foam or custard on top.

EL: And I got the cloud cream coffee.

GL: For breakfast, we’re coffee and doughnuts people. We go to Deadstock.

EL: Kalesa Coffee.

GL: Heyday. Delicious Donuts — we love that family. The day we opened, we went there ‘cause we live close by. We introduced ourselves and Penny (Nguyen) who owns it was like ‘What?! You’re opening up a whole business?! Who, what, when, where!?’ She was like, ‘I’m gonna be by today and order a lot.’ She came through and ordered so much. We didn’t even have bags. We were not prepared. We had to source a box for her to carry it. They have really good doughnuts and they’re really good people and so supportive to the community, so we definitely love them.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

2024-04-16T21:03:46Z dg43tfdfdgfd